Southwest Egg Rolls

This recipe….so totally different from Chinese egg rolls, but just as scrumptious and addicting!! I found this recipe on Carlsbad Cravings and am I ever glad I did. They are so stinking good you just want to keep eating them! I didn’t really change anything, except I used jarred jalapenos instead of a fresh one. I also didn’t add the avocado. Tastes just fine, believe me!

So, let’s get cooking!

First, cut the chicken breast into very small chunks. Dice the onion, red pepper, and jalapeno small. Peel and mince the garlic. Drain and rinse the black beans, drain the corn, and drain the diced tomatoes with chilies. Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the chicken and onions in the Tbl of oil. Add the red bell pepper, minced garlic, and chopped jalapenos. Cook about a minute. Mix in the black beans, corn, diced tomatoes with chilies, rice, and the spices. Remove from heat, cool a few minutes, and stir in the shredded cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses.

Set a skillet on the stove to heat up enough oil to fry the egg rolls in. I used about 2 inches or so. Pour some water in a little bowl. To assemble the egg rolls, lay a wrapper in front of you like a diamond. Place about ¼ c of filling about 2/3 of the way down in the middle of the wrapper. Pull up the point near you towards the middle of the filling. Dip your finger in the water and lightly brush it on the edges of both sides of the wrapper, then fold them in towards the middle of the egg roll as shown, pressing lightly to seal.

To finish, lightly wet the top edges of the wrapper, and roll the egg roll towards the remaining point, pressing lightly to seal. Continue with the rest of the wrappers and set aside on a large platter. When the oil is hot enough (test with a kernel of corn or something), fry the egg rolls until golden brown, turning once to do the other side. Lay on paper towels to absorb the extra grease.

Enjoy! ~TMMF

Southwest Egg Rolls

oil for frying

20 egg roll wrappers

1 Tbl oil

2 chicken breasts

(boneless, skinless)

1 medium onion

1 medium red bell pepper

3 cloves garlic

1 jalapeno or jarred equivalent

1 c black beans

1 c corn

1 c cooked rice

1 10 oz can diced tomatoes with chilies

1 tsp each—chili powder, cumin, salt

½ tsp paprika

1 c sharp cheddar cheese

1 c Monterey jack cheese

Cheesy Taco Soup

This soup from Carlsbad Cravings is so stinking good, I ate some for breakfast the next morning! If you like Mexican, you will love this. It looks like a lot of work but it really isn’t; several ingredients are canned, so all you’re doing is opening them. It is so worth the effort, and my kids just gobbled this down. I was lucky there even was some left for my breakfast the next day!

The only things I changed about this were replacing a green pepper for the red, as I just didn’t have a red bell pepper on hand. I didn’t add the tsp of salt, as there’s enough salt in all the canned products, and I threw in some mozzarella cheese. You can never have enough cheese, right??

So, let’s get cooking!

First, drain and rinse the kidney beans and black beans so they’re ready. You might as well open all the cans now, too.

Chop the onions, peppers, and mince the garlic.

Brown the hamburg with the oil, onions, and peppers, adding the minced garlic when just about done. Mix in the flour, stirring well. Toss in the kidney beans and black beans.

Add the spices, the hot diced chilies, salsa, enchilada sauce, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer about 15 minutes until somewhat thickened.

Whisk in the softened cream cheese and turn off the heat. Stir in the cheddar, pepperjack, and mozzarella cheeses until melted. Serve with sour cream if desired. 

Enjoy! ~TMMF

Cheesy Taco Soup

1 Tbl oil

1 lb ground beef

1 onion

1 green pepper

4 cloves garlic

1 tsp each—chili powder, cumin

½ tsp each-- oregano, paprika

¼ tsp pepper

¼ c flour

1 15 oz can kidney beans

1 15 oz can black beans

1 4 oz can hot diced chilies

1 c medium salsa

1 10 oz can enchilada sauce

5 c chicken broth

1 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 c shredded pepperjack cheese

1 c shredded mozzarella

4 oz cream cheese, softened

One Pan Enchilada Pasta

One pan, cheese, and Mexican to boot? I’m in! This great recipe comes from No. 2 Pencil. For veggies, it only had ½ a small onion, and you just know I’d up that somehow. I used more onion and added in green bell pepper. I could have added diced carrots or zucchini, which would have gone well in it, but I didn't have any on hand. I also threw in a can of black beans and some red pepper flakes, and left out the 2 Tbl oil. It didn‘t need that extra fat and served no purpose. It came our awesome!

So, let’s get cooking!

Dice the onion and green pepper, and mince the garlic.

In a large skillet, sauté the ground turkey, onions, peppers, and minced garlic with the packet of taco seasoning.

When thoroughly cooked, add the chicken broth, enchilada sauce, red pepper flakes, pasta, and drained, rinsed black beans. Bring to a boil on high heat, then turn heat down and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

While that's cooking, slice the scallions and black olives, if you're using them.

Uncover and cook an additional five minutes. Stir in 1 c of the Colby jack cheese, then top with the rest of the cheese and the scallions and black olives. Um, I may or may not have thrown in a big handful of shredded mozzarella cheese, too….. ;-)





Serve and watch the smiles. Enjoy! ~TMMF

One Pan Enchilada Pasta

1 lb ground turkey
1 sm onion
1 sm green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 pkt taco seasoning
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 19 oz can enchilada sauce
2 c chicken broth
8 oz rotini
2 c shredded Colby jack cheese
1 can black beans
scallions and black olives (optional)

One Pot Wonder Southwest Pasta

I love One Pot recipes, whether you throw it all in and just cook, or you use the same one pot or pan several times for the recipe. This one is from The Wholesome Dish, and since I love anything remotely Mexicanny, I had to try it. It came out soupier than many of the One Pot pasta recipes I’ve made, but that’s not a bad thing. I *love* soup, and this was SO good that my daughter Megan and I ate leftovers for breakfast the next day. Yup, we’re weird like that. ;-)

The only changes I made to this recipe was adding some chicken breast and a couple cloves of garlic. You know how I love garlic, and it keeps me safe from vampires, too. ;-)

So, let’s get cooking!

First cut the veggies. Slice the pepper and onion into strips about an inch long. Mince the garlic.

Measure out the two cups of frozen corn. Or if you’re like me and froze a huge bag of it without thinking, use a butter knife and hammer to hack off 2 cups of frozen corn. ;-)

Place the peppers, onions, tomatoes, corn, garlic, and pasta in a large pot.

Cut the chicken breast into cubes. This recipe would be fine without the chicken too, but I have a little carnivore named Timmy who asks for meat all the time. ;-)

Add the cubed chicken to the pot, along with the taco seasoning, oil, and broth.

Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to simmer, covered, for about 12-15 minutes.

Drain and rinse the black beans and add to the pasta mixture along with the cheese. Mix in until heated through, and serve it up.

Enjoy! ~TMMF

One Pot Wonder Southwest Pasta

1 green bell pepper
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes & chilies
14 oz pasta
1 chicken breast (optional)
1 packet taco seasoning
2 tsp oil
4 c chicken broth
1 15 oz can black beans
1 c fiesta blend shredded cheese

My Enchilada Casserole

Well, well, well, Monday….we meet again. You do realize what that means, don’t you? Another installment of my inexpensive family recipe series Gourmet…Way Before Payday. This recipe is a throw-together, and very easy to adapt to what you have on hand. When I give the ingredients and amounts, it’s always with the idea that if you have it, use it, but if you don’t have all of it, use what you have. The way I made this, it serves 8-10 people and costs $7.99. At $.80 to $1 per person, that’s not bad at all.

So, let’s get cooking!

If you don’t have 3 c of rice already cooked, get it going now.

Dice the bell pepper and onion. Peel and mince the garlic. I mince mine with my handy dandy garlic press when it’s time to add it.

Shred the cheddar cheese with a hand grater and set aside.

In a large skillet, sauté the pepper, onion, and garlic in the oil, until just tender, about 6 minutes.

Add the cooked rice and drained/rinsed black beans, as well as the chili powder, ground cumin, and about 1 c  of the enchilada sauce, leaving the rest for the top.

In an 11 X 15” baking dish, spray liberally with cooking spray, and spread about 1/3 c of the canned enchilada sauce.

Cover with 2 ½ of the flour tortillas, ripping into small pieces.

In the baking dish, spread half of the rice/bean mixture. Sprinkle half the cheddar cheese on top evenly.

Spread the remaining half of the rice/bean mixture. Rip up the other half of the flour tortillas and cover the top of the casserole.

Pour over the remaining enchilada sauce in the can. Sprinkle the rest of the cheddar cheese on top.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes, until bubbly. Serve and enjoy! ~TMMF

Enchilada Casserole
   (serves 8-10)

2 cans black beans,
   drained and rinsed
3 c cooked rice
1 green pepper
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbl oil
1 28 oz can enchilada sauce, divided
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
5-6 medium flour tortillas
1 ½ c cheddar cheese

Chicken Jalapeño Popper Soup

I love all things Jalapeño Popper, so when my writing friend Doreen Gadow (Our Homeschool Ohana) shared the link for this recipe, I knew I had to try it! It was originally found on Trim Healthy Momma, and is it ever GOOD! I only changed a few things around (haha): I used green peppers for red, less jalapeños, spices, and chicken, increased the black beans, and threw in a carrot. It worked, so I shall now share it with you.

So, let’s get cooking!

First prepare the cauliflower, because you can set it to cooking and then do the rest of the prep work while it’s on the stove. You want to cut the cauli into florets if you’re using fresh cauliflower, which is what I did. Place them in a large soup pot with the chicken broth and cook, covered, until tender.

Dice the onion, bell peppers, and jalapeños. Be sure to wear gloves when handling the jalapeños, and don’t touch your face, especially your eyes. Wash the knife, cutting board or surface, and your hands immediately when done. Mince the garlic.

Cut the chicken into small bite size pieces.

When the cauliflower is done, set it aside in a large bowl.

In the same soup pot you used for the cauliflower, add a little oil and sauté the diced chicken until tender and cooked through. Set aside when done.

While the chicken is cooking, you need to blend the cooked cauliflower with the chicken broth it was cooked in. You can use a blender if you choose. I used my handy dandy hand blender. I love that thing!

Cut up the cream cheese and add to the cauliflower/broth mixture. Blend in thoroughly.

Grate the carrot.

Now sauté the onion, bell pepper, jalapeños, and garlic in the large soup pot with a little oil until tender. After a few minutes, add in the grated carrot and cook for about a minute or so.

Add the blended cauliflower/broth mixture to the veggies in the soup pot. Use a rubber spatula to get every tasty drop! ;)

Drain the black beans (and rinse!). Add the beans, the chicken (plus any juices), the diced tomatoes, and the spices. Heat through for a few minutes.

Enjoy! ~TMMF

Chicken Jalapeño Popper Soup

1 large head cauliflower

   (or 2 bags frozen)

4 c chicken broth

1 Vidalia onion

1 green bell pepper

4 jalapeños

3 cloves garlic

1 1/4 lbs chicken breast

8 oz cream cheese

1 large carrot

1 can black beans

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

Spicy Pork Enchiladas

This is a recipe I found floating around on Facebook, with only a photo and a short paragraph of what the woman did to make them. She suggested what to use in them, but it was fairly open to just add what you like, so this is what I came up with. I think next time I make them I’m going to add some diced fresh jalapeños. These are SO good! I hope you like them too.

So, let’s get cooking!

For the pork, you can throw some loin or chops or whatever you like into a crock pot and cook it overnight, or even a day or two ahead and have it in the fridge. This is a great recipe to use up leftover pork from a previous meal, too.

Using two forks, shred the pork. Add one of the cans of enchilada sauce and coat thoroughly.

Dice the green bell pepper and Vidalia onion, and mince the garlic. I just use my handy dandy garlic press when it’s time to add it.

In a skillet, heat the oil and sauté the pepper, onion, and garlic on medium heat until just tender. It only takes a few minutes.

Add the sautéed veggies and the black beans to the shredded pork.

To assemble, just pile an eighth of the mixture in an oblong shape in the middle of the tortilla. What I did to try and make sure they each were even and that I had enough for all eight was to take a knife and simply cut through the mixture in the bowl as if I were cutting a pie. The “wedges” could be clearly seen and I just scooped them out with a spoon.

Fold over the two sides and then fold the other two sides to complete.

Place in a greased 11 X 15” baking dish, seam side down. I got all eight to fit by sort of  squooshing the three on each end of the baking dish up against the ends and then sort of wiggling the last two in the middle, end to end.

Pour the 2nd can of enchilada sauce over all. Now sprinkle the Mexican blend cheese on top. Use as little or as much as you like. I’m, um, wicked into cheese, so I tend to be a little heavy handed with it. Cheese is one of my four food groups. ;)

Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes, until heated through and cheese is all melted and bubbly and your mouth is watering smelling it as it permeates the house. Enjoy! ~TMMF

Spicy Pork Enchiladas

1 ½ to 2 lbs pork
1 can black beans
   (drain and rinse)
½ green bell pepper
½ Vidalia onion
2 big cloves garlic
2 cans enchilada sauce
2 c Mexican blend shredded cheese

Creamy Taco Unstuffed Shells

This recipe was found on Allrecipes.com and looked so good I knew I had to try it. Believe it or not, the zucchini was in the recipe already; it’s not something I added on. The only changes I made were using a green bell pepper instead of yellow because I only had green, and I added in the cream cheese. I may or may not have been a little heavy handed with the shredded fiesta blend cheese in this. ;) I liked how it came out, and I think you will too.

So, let’s get cooking!

Start a pot of water boiling for the shell pasta, and when it’s ready, cook the pasta until al dente. When done, drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.

While that’s going on, do up the veggies. Dice the onions, bell pepper, and zucchini.

In a large skillet, brown the meat and vegetables. The original recipe called for hamburg, but I used ground turkey, as it’s so much less expensive. I also notice how much more tender it is in the recipes I make.

Add the can of diced tomatoes and the taco seasoning and bring to a boil. Turn down and simmer for about ten minutes.

Cut the cream cheese into cubes and add to the mixture in the skillet. Stir and simmer until the cream cheese is melted.

Turn the heat off and mix in the sour cream and half of the shredded Mexican blend cheese.

Pour into a greased 11 X 15” baking dish.

Bake for about 20 minutes at 350°. Pull out and sprinkle on the other half of the shredded Mexican blend cheese. Bake for another ten minutes or so, until the cheese on top is melted. Enjoy! ~TMMF

Creamy Taco Unstuffed Shells

4 c uncooked shell pasta
1 lb ground beef (or turkey)
1 Vidalia onion
1 bell pepper
1 zucchini
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
1 c sour cream
1 c shredded fiesta (Mexican) blend cheese
   (I used about 1 ½ c at least!)